Masking Screen Additive Manufacturing System for Resin Curing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing additive manufacturing systems face limitations in accuracy and resolution due to image disturbances from optical scattering and lens aberrations when projecting cross-sectional images onto curable resin layers, making them unsuitable for manufacturing larger objects.
Innovation Solution
The system employs a masking screen, positioned close to the resin layer, to block incident radiation and minimize scattering, combined with a positioning system for precise alignment, allowing for high accuracy and resolution independent of object size, and uses a transparent foil substrate and radiation source for curing the resin layers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If intermediate lenses are used to project cross-sectional images onto curable resin layers, then the manufacturing process can be completed, but optical scattering and lens aberrations cause image disturbances that reduce accuracy and resolution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the intermediate lenses from the optical path between the radiation source and the curable resin layer. By eliminating these lenses, the harmful optical scattering and aberrations are eliminated, directly improving the accuracy and resolution of the manufactured object without sacrificing the ability to complete the manufacturing process
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a transparent foil substrate as an intermediary carrier that holds the curable resin layer. This foil substrate provides a stable support structure that enables direct radiation curing without requiring intermediate lenses, thus eliminating image disturbances while maintaining manufacturing capability
2Manufacturing precision
If the additive manufacturing system is designed for high accuracy and resolution, then image quality improves, but the system becomes unsuitable for manufacturing larger objects due to limited field of view
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a lens-based optical projection system to a direct radiation curing system using a transparent foil substrate. This dimensional change in the optical path allows the system to maintain high accuracy and resolution while expanding the manufacturable object size from millimeters to meters, as the field of view is no longer constrained by lens aperture limitations
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables the production of three-dimensional objects with high accuracy and resolution, eliminating the need for intermediate lenses and reducing exposure errors, thus enabling the manufacturing of objects ranging from millimeters to meters in size with improved scalability.
Implementation Method 1
a radiation source disposed on a second side of the foil substrate for radiation curing the resin layer on the first side of the foil substrate
Implementation Method 2
a masking screen disposed substantially parallel to the resin layer for blocking at least in part incident radiation on the resin layer
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3a~3b
AI summary
Additive manufacturing system for manufacturing a three dimensional object (10). A resin depositor (14) is present for depositing a layer of curable resin (6) on a first side (2a) of a foil substrate (2). The foil substrate (2) is supported by a transparent support plate (4), and a radiation source (5) is disposed for radiation curing the resin layer (6). A stage (12) is configured to hold a stacked arrangement of one or more cured resin layers representing at least in part the three dimensional object (10) and a positioning system is provided for relative positioning the foil substrate (2) and the stage (12). A masking screen (8) disposed substantially parallel to the resin layer (6) is present for blocking at least in part incident radiation on the resin layer (6) in correspondence with a cross sectional slice of the object (10).